tompato

So I have had these Skywatcher Slow Motion Cables for all of 5 minutes and after the damn thing fell off the a second time in as many minutes I tightened it better and the screw sheared off. Fantastic. Any ideas? Drill it out I guess? Send angry correspondence to Skywatcher. Its now stuck to my Scopetech Mount Zero.

So the slow motion cables arrived, they were great @jock1958, apart from the fact by hand tightening they kept undoing and so I went to tighten it a little bit and this happened (photo attached). To say I'm livid is an understatement, I've only had them for 5 minutes.

Thanks @jock1958, that makes sense with the adjustment brass nuts. What I'll do is wait til the slow mo cables are here and then see what it's like. I feel like I'll definitely have to tighten the Az at the very least. It the Alt is still tight with the new cables I'll try adjusting the brass nuts you've mentioned above. At least with the worm gear it seems like I couldn't have damaged it by loosening off those tension/case screws too much, it seems they must be strong enough to handle turning one another when quite stiff so that should be fine, plus the main clutch moves nice and smooth so I'm sure it's fine. I've probably worn the case screws out a bit by repeatedly loosening and tightening them but I can always replace them if their heads ever look like they've seen better days.

Thanks for the tip, turns out Wide-screen Center had stock so I've put an order in!

Ah okay, that's interesting. If you could show me tomorrow what you adjusted that would be good. So far I have followed the instructions in the maintenance guide ( https://www.firstlightoptics.com/user/products/large/zero.pdf ) and tried loosening the tension screws (1.5 Allen) and then also loosening and then tightening the case screws (2.5 Allen). Ill attach a photo of the ones I've adjusted below. Whatever I do they are either too tight or too loose so maybe adjusting the nut like you've mentioned will do the trick.

Thanks @jock1958 The knobs actually fit very well, they have a grub screw in the side so you can tighten them on. I think I could have gone for 30mm ones instead of 20mm ones but they at least allow me to turn the slow motion controls. I've set some email alerts when the long cable slow motion controls become available. The Az knob is a joy to turn, it's smooth and tight but not too much. The Alt knob is a bit tougher to turn and it does almost feel like it slips occasionally, which is probably a sign I've not got it tight enough but any tighter adjustment of the tension screws and I can't turn the knob without significant hardship on my poor fingers. I have tried loosening the case screws and following the instructions from Flo (I must admit I didn't quite understand the instruction where it tells me to hold the case against the body and tighten the case screws back on as they only seem to screw back in at one point only) on adjustment but whatever I do it just always seems to go back to being the same - which is too tight but loosening the tension screws puts it borderline on meshing properly or it has movement in the knob before it starts to engage. I'm not really sure if there's much else I can do, I think I might have to accept the Alt is much tighter than the Alt, which is a shame because the slow motion control on the Az is so buttery smooth, and the tightness of the Alt just makes it quite jerky to use. The video shows where I've loosened the tension screws so it turns and just about meshes, but it's borderline as it feels like it slips occasionally. VID_20210526_211916.mp4

Seems much better, I thought I'd made an expensive mistake when putting the telescope on it or when adjusting the tightness screws on the slow motion bit but it seems good now. Much thanks everyone 🙌

Yeah, my fingers are destroyed. I will get something but no cables were in stock. I've ordered some 6mm potentiometer knobs which are coming tomorrow which should make it slightly easier. I've made the adjustments of the small screws and the larger ones on the Alt and that seems solid and just about moveable when fully tightened and I've tightened up the Az as well to match the same sort of tightness. Both seem to move the axis correctly now. I'll give it a go with the telescope again.

Yeah to clarify I don't mean I've loosened the clutches all the way, just slightly. I'll do s video of me trying to move them on both axis with nothing mounted. The Az moves fine, but the Alt doesn't seem to move the plate at all. And I'm aware they're hard to turn without slow motion controls connected, but if the knob is turning I imagine the axis should move, unless the worm gear thing isn't meshed but I don't see why it wouldn't be. VID_20210525_214536.mp4

Thanks for the reply @jock1958. It does seem with some very fine adjustments it does kinda work with my telescope but it's very temperamental. I've tried to adjust the bits in the maintenance guide to loosen up the Az slow motion and that does seem to have worked to some degree. Please excuse my ignorance but the slow motion controls are supposed to work with the clutches loosened and tightened?

Okay it seems I can sometimes get it to work in Alt by making ever so slight adjustments to the balance but then it doesn't work in Az, presumably because isn't balanced across the other axis as it's a Newtonian so the focusser and eyepiece are on one side. To be honest if the functionality of the mount controls are this fine tuned to get it to work I might just have to return it. Maybe it's not suited to a Newtonian? Also I can't go very far before hitting the clutch on the bottom of the tube (6 inch Newtonian).

Hi all, my Scopetech Zero Mount came today and it looks lovely. I've just put it on a tripod to test it and the clutches and movement seems to be fine. I noticed the slow motion controls on the altitude were barely moveable and I couldn't test the slow motion on that axis. So I noticed the Flo website says to try loosening the tiny adjustment screws so I loosened those slightly and hey presto, I can turn the slow motion knobs now. However, it will adjust one way but not the other. I've checked the telescope is as balanced as I can do I don't think it's that. I can turn the slow motion knob both ways, it's just to go towards the zenith it just doesn't move, whereas turning to lower towards the horizon is fine. On the azimuth it will turn to left easily but not the right very well (this axis does turn but not very consistently). I'm leaning towards having a faulty mount but I thought these things were tested so maybe I am just doing something wrong. All the instructions are in Japanese with no translations so I might have missed something. I can take a video if that helps.

Hi all, I have a fairly old Orion Optics UK 6 inch reflector, a VX6 I believe (the shorter one, not the longer one). I got it years ago (before they came with dual speed focussers and tube rings - it just has a dovetail plate screwed onto it) as a ex-display model and I used it for a couple years and since then its been sitting there not being used. I'm considering using it with a new Alt/Az mount as a grab and go setup for visual observing in the back gardenbut one thing that bothers me is the focusser is pretty awful - it has large steps and only a single speed. I know some grease will smooth it out a bit, maybe I've just been spoilt by better focussers. I was wondering if its cost effective to buy a new dual speed focusser or something for it (is that even possible?), or given the relative low value of the scope whether I should just get something new? I've had this scope since I first started observing and I don;t like disposing of things if they can be fixed or made useful, but if its not financially sensible then I might let it go.

Ah that's interesting, it makes sense tho as I guess it's the end result that's important.

Aren't the ones that are doublets that use ED glass usually called semi-apochromatic? I think because the glass (or coating) used is such a high quality it significantly reduces chromatic aberration. I guess some places maybe just 'forget' the semi part and label them as apochromatic? Not sure. But yes I believe a true APO should be a triplet. I could be wrong though.

Those clamps look pretty nicely machined for the money to be fair. I think I'll try and get a SkyTee 2 and upgrade the saddles. I'll have a look at Telescope Express as well 👍

Ah okay, it does looks incredibly well made but I didn't realise the saddles were extra, so that will come to a lot more than I wanted to spend. It also seems to be pretty heavy. I'm thinking the SkyTee 2 might be the best value for money given what I want to do which is a basic grab and go setup with maybe a 6" CC. Now just to find some stock.

Okay, so it sounds like something fairly heavy duty will be needed if I go for the StellaLyra CC 6" and I agree with the above, I find slow motion controls are really handy and I forgot to mention that. So it sounds like I'd be looking at one of the below options, in ascending price. SkyTee 2, Rowan AZ100, Losmandy AZ8. Given the price savings I'd be leaning towards the SkyTee 2 I suppose, and I could then put the savings towards other bits and bobs.

Background So a few years ago I traded some equipment for a setup more geared towards astrophotography. I ended up with a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro Mount & Tripod (with Synscan) along with a Skywatcher Evostar 120 ED DS Pro telescope. In the time I've had it, I've gone through a fair bit - several house moves, two major surgeries etc and I've just not had the time (and for quite some time the health) to really get out there and use the kit, and in some cases lift them damn things without giving myself a hernia. I've never really bothered getting the computerised mount setup and just used it by releasing the clutches and visually observing and I've come to realise that I prefer the manual grab and go style astronomy I was doing when I was younger. The Scope So I want to return to a simpler grab and go setup and I prefer an Alt-Az mount for that if I'm honest. I don't mind keeping the Evostar as it's a lovely scope but I feel it'll be better used by someone for astrophotography rather than basc visual observing so I'm leaning towards a classical cassegrain or an RC or something that gives me some focal length but not at the expense of quite a long scope (probably 6" to 8" diameter) - so we're probably talking about scopes in the range of 4kg to 8kg or something like that? (Would that be a fair assumption?). I quite like the look of a StellaLyra 6" F12. The Mount I'm also not interested in computerised setups, but I wouldn't rule out motorised mounts in the future. Space is also an issue and also weight. So given that, what would you get in terms of a fairly well made and heavy duty Alt-Az Mount? I've looked around and I've seen the following: Skywatcher AZ5 - the basic all rounger, single telescope setup, would probably do the job in all fairness but I could probably afford something a bit nicer. Sky Tee 2 - seems to be a good all rounder for the money, probably not the best engineered but seems to last, two telescope setup. RVO (Rother Valley) Heavy Duty AZ Mount - single telescope setup, can't find any reviews for this but it looks well made but maybe not tried and tested? Berlebach Castor Alt Az Mount - looks well made, has good reviews, two telescope setup, would need some extras like plates and counter balance bar as well. GR Ercole (or mini?) - again good reviews, well made, two telescope setup, would need some extras like the above, also probably the most expensive. I don't know if there are any other alternatives that I've not come across that are highly recommended? Or any of the above you would steer clear of? I know there's some mounts like the Losmandy one but its a bit out of my price range.

Hi all, just popping in to say "Hi 👋" before I start throwing questions around like they're going out of fashion! I'm in my early 30's, from the East of England and by day I'm a web developer. I've been into astronomy for a while now, originally just with an ex-display basic grab and go setup with a 6inch Newtonian and then I fancied going into astrophotography with a bigger/heavier setup that I traded for but I think I've come to realise that I don't have the time or expertise for it so I think I'll be asking a few questions on how to return back to a more simple setup.